The Midland Macedoine, Sun Sep 16th 1984
The power
094 0639 Northampton-Euston LB-EU
56107 0905 St. Pancras-Buxton Railtour SP-DE (via Co,LS) fail here
45107 0905 St. Pancras-Buxton Railtour DE-DE (via Sin)
58007 0905 St. Pancras-Buxton Railtour DE-BX H
45019 0905 St. Pancras-Buxton Railtour BX H-BX
58007 1712 Buxton-St. Pancras Railtour BX-DE (via Man)
56020 1712 Buxton-St. Pancras Railtour DE-SP
077 2202 Euston-Rugby EU-LB
The Tour
Organiser -Hertfordshire
Headcode -1Z17
Ching – £15-95
Stock 8 x Mk I, 1 X Mk II…5590, 1859, 21268, 13401, 13398, 13404, 13394, 13393, 34691.
A Sunday tour off Pancakes at 0905 meant a very relaxed 0700 departure from Leighton with 310094 providing the power. Despite the heavy class 56 mileage none of my mates were interested and i was surprised to have a bay of 4 to myself for much of the tour.
Large logo 56107 looked superb under the impressive St Pancras roof and she stormed too. 32 minutes St Pancras – Luton was faster than most Peaks could muster. Unfortunately at Derby the motive power went downhill. 56107 failed on arrival being dragged away by an 08, 45107 (yawn) was all that could be arranged as a replacement power for the short run down the Industrial estates of the Sinfin branch. Even worse was 58007 was now on the tour for the Pennine section, i and a good few others had only had 1 58, yes 007! 58007 had worked a service train a week earlier with half the bashing world aboard!
58007 at Leicester not with the tour but the 1340 Poole – Sheffield which the 58 worked forward from New St, the first 58 on a service train, Sat Sep 8th 1984
A nice route followed through Edale to Chinley before the vast quarries of Peak Forest were passed before arriving at Buxton headshunt where we had to reverse to get into Buxton station. Despite exotic power being stabled on Buxton that Sunday Control decreed 45019 (yawn) as the forwarding power!
47361 at Buxton depot, Sunday September 16th 1984
A break at Buxton then passenger routes to Manchester Picc, Macclesfield, Stoke, Uttoxeter and Derby.
Thanks to Steve Kemp for this Manchester Piccadilly view of 58007 with the Midland Macedoine tour
As we arrived at Derby vast crowds were hiding on the station footbridge steps, must be another “grid” forward i thought. It was a big TI Romanian one in 56020 and this “grid” absolutely stormed back to London, a good end to the day.
Looking back i’m glad i did this tour if only for those screaming, pulsing hard driven “grids” fantastic machines to storm down the Midland on.
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